SA-illustreerders: Theo Krynauw

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Name
: Theo Krynauw

Leap by Theo Krynauw

Wat is jou day job?

Freelance illustrator and cartoonist.

What road did you follow to launch your career as an illustrator?

After studying information design (graphic design) in Pretoria in 2006 I decided to wander down the solitary road of freelance illustrating, gaining work mainly through self-promotion to design and ad agencies as well as book publishers. After a few years bounding about abroad I picked up the art again in late 2009 and decided to focus my efforts mainly on book illustration. I've found work through online illustration agencies and by approaching publishers with my portfolio. It takes a while to gain momentum, but once it’s there it's a very rewarding way to make a living.

Have your illustrations been published?

Sowaar sowaar van Hunks is ‘n towenaar (Protea Boekhuis)

The Grub
(Penguin books, New Zealand)

Rileys Gift
by Gary Radford (Privately Published, Australia).

What is your preferred medium, and why do you enjoy working in this particular medium?

Pen and ink with watercolour is my favourite medium. I enjoy the tactile nature of working directly on to paper – digital work leaves me feeling a bit disengaged from the process. Dip-pen and ink is great, it is reckless and immediate, keeping me honest by keeping me communication-focused instead of craft-focused. Time and the sense of immediacy sometimes get lost in some of the more “careful” media. The unpredictable nuances of the dip-pen medium are good for humour illustration – humour illustration loves glitch elements; it's more human and less clinical.

Are there specific genres or types of texts that you enjoy illustrating?

I always look to take on humorous texts. Surreal texts also appeal to me, and my creative sensibility is increasingly moving towards a combination of the two genres.

Who are your illustration heroes? Was your development as an illustrator and your personal style influenced by the work of other illustrators?

My current heroes are Jean Jacques Sempe for his story-telling abilities and human eye, and Michael Sowa for his surreal expressionism and humour. My good friend and fellow illustrator Gerhard Cruywagen has also been a big influence on my work over the past few years. My biggest style influence is Ronald Searle. Some people who see my work say that the Ronald Searle and Quentin Blake influences come through; I can see it too, sometimes. I think style should be defined, above all, by real life observation instead of other artists. I've been trying to look at the world outside my window a bit more of late.

Are you an avid reader? Who are your favourite authors?

I tend to read mostly non-fiction, but Hemingway and Albert Camus are favourites on the fiction side.

What is the one existing text that you would most want to illustrate?

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Which writer, living or dead, would you most like to collaborate with? What would the fictional book be about that you would work on together?

Spike Milligan. We'd write a book about the absurd nature of modern city life as told by an octopus working the main street.

Do you have an ideal audience/reader in mind when you create an image or a series of illustrations?

Yes. Adult readers with a taste for understated awkward and sometimes dark comedy.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently working on an animation project amongst and editorial illustration work. I'm working on my personal book project after hours.

Which one of your illustration projects so far stands out as a favourite, and why?

 Oo, tough one, The picture book Riley’s Gift, for which I created artwork in 2010, was a joy to work on.

You spent some time abroad, working as a freelance illustrator in New Zealand. How does the industry here compare with the industry in New Zealand?

My career as an illustrator was largely on ice during that time, but I found the handful of illustration projects that I did take on near the end of my stay there to be quite a pleasure. Despite the market being small in New Zealand there is room for a more sophisticated form of expression where one can explore the “art” of illustration. Keeping in mind that New Zealand is a country of only around four million people, it takes a while to gain momentum as a freelance artist there.

Where else can one go to see samples of your work?

My website: www.theokrynauw.com.


Kliek hier vir Maryke van Velden se illustrasie-album.

Kliek hier vir Diek Grobler se illustrasie-album.

Kliek hier vir Piet Grobler se illustrasie-album.

 

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